mock

1 of 4

verb

ˈmäk How to pronounce mock (audio)
ˈmȯk
mocked; mocking; mocks

transitive verb

1
: to treat with contempt or ridicule : deride
he has been mocked as a mama's boyC. P. Pierce
2
: to disappoint the hopes of
for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gesturesD. D. Eisenhower
3
: defy, challenge
the unstable, strange new world of subatomic particles that mock all attempts at understandingPhilip Howard
4
a
: to imitate (someone or something) closely : mimic
a mockingbird was mocking a cardinalNelson Hayes
b
: to mimic in sport or derision
followed the old man along the street mocking his gait

intransitive verb

: jeer, scoff
she … mocked at his piety as affectationFerdinand Schevill
mocker noun
mockingly adverb

mock

2 of 4

noun

1
: an act of ridicule or derision : jeer
2
: one that is an object of derision or scorn
3
4
a
: an act of imitation
b
: something made as an imitation

mock

3 of 4

adjective

: of, relating to, or having the character of an imitation : simulated, feigned
the mock solemnity of the parody

mock

4 of 4

adverb

: in an insincere or counterfeit manner
usually used in combination
mock-serious
Choose the Right Synonym for mock

ridicule, deride, mock, taunt mean to make an object of laughter of.

ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.

consistently ridiculed everything she said

deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.

derided their efforts to start their own business

mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.

youngsters began to mock the helpless wino

taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.

hometown fans taunted the visiting team

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing.

copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

ape may suggest presumptuous, unoriginal, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Examples of mock in a Sentence

Verb The boys mocked him for showing fear. He mocks art only because he doesn't understand it. They continue to mock the idea of a new government. We are being mocked for our religious beliefs. You can mock me as much as you like, but I'm going to do it anyway. Noun they made a mock of the new recruit in front of the whole unit obviously, the “priceless” Grecian urn that is destroyed in the movie was a mock Adjective We stared at him in mock surprise. Every summer, our history club performs mock battles to relive our country's greatest war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Political critics are mocking Trump over the no-shows. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024 That’s why The Charlotte Observer is taking one more shot at a seven-round Panthers mock draft. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024 On a red carpet recently, Katy Perry wore the Vivienne Westwood mock croc Super Elevated Court Pumps from his shop. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024 Outside of the 1968 Democratic National Convention hall, protesters mocked the proceedings. Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024 After Healy mentions an attempt to DM Ice Spice, the hosts attempt to guess her heritage and mock the accents of different ethnic groups. Justin Curto, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024 The host also whipped out his best Trump impression in response to headlines about the former president appearing to nod off a few times during the first day of his hush money trial, which has been mercilessly mocked by a number of late night hosts. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024 Kiper mocked him 38th this week; Miller mocks him 49th. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024 Many have mocked and scoffed at this post and even put community notes. Mallory Moench, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
Bleacher Report’s latest mock projects Furphy No. 28 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024 Miller's mock has the top wide receivers off the board by no. 9 and instead the Bears choose to protect their new quarterback (Williams), who Fashanu played with in high school. Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Sheppard is a strong three-point shooter who has worked his way up NBA mock draft projections. Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The sharpshooting combo guard is projected to be selected third overall – the highest of any college player – in Bleacher Report’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft, after a late-season surge in scoring appears to have turned the heads of NBA scouts. Jacob Lev, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 An easy mock hollandaise sauce adds creamy flavor to our tomato- and basil-topped twist on the classic eggs Benedict breakfast. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 LeBron was angered and took to social media this week when ESPN’s NBA mock draft excluded Bronny from this summer’s draft and projected him instead for the 2025 draft. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The 19-year-old, currently a freshman at USC, was removed from ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 But with the first-round order now fully set, here's our latest NFL mock draft. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Morgan did not show up in many mock drafts, including my own. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024 There will be plenty of folks, beholden to baseless mock drafts, who say that Pearsall was a bad pick for the 49ers at No. 31. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024 In the Star-Telegram’s mock draft, Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill has America’s Team selecting offensive tackle Tyler Guyton from the University of Oklahoma. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2024 The Myers Park High alum has been frequently slated as a top-three pick in mock drafts by the industry’s most respected experts. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2024 The pool of available players includes several former Wolverines, many of whom have been understandably linked to the Chargers in the ever-expanding world of mock drafts. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024 Here are a few of the mock drafts developed by Nate Davis and Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: ◾ Feb. 26: Can question-mark QB J.J. McCarthy crack top 15 picks? Jim Sergent, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024 Her hair is, again, slicked back in a mock cropped style. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024 The crowd had also created a mock F-16 covered in fake blood to protest the Israeli military. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 22 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Sports Sam Farmer’s crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2.0 after big trade for top pick April 3, 2023 Stafford passed for only 10 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, as the Rams produced the worst performance by a defending Super Bowl champion in league history. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023 And though Tyler ditched the bellhop costume quickly, he was soon replaced by the anonymous character of a fisherman in a bright yellow raincoat who was responsible for holding up a backdrop as Tyler set sail -- and, of course, mock-mopping up the water on the dock once Tyler returned to land. Billboard, 31 July 2021 Alwyn begins mock-pulling at his cheeks and widening his eyes at any talk of said face. Vulture, 9 May 2022 Perhaps most famously, Mr. Remy and Orsillo, in between convulsions of laughter, mock-analyzed an incident in which one fan in the Fenway stands threw a slice of pizza at another in April 2007. BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2021 Clifford looked at him mock-sternly, channelling Diana. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 8 June 2020 Stokes continued, mock yelling in a West Hollywood hotel. Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 20 Apr. 2020 But as the conflict in the country dragged on for years, the banner became a symbol over which critics would mock Bush. John Gage, Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2020 The included photo of the model/mock up of this case is close but not exact. Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 26 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle English, from moker

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mock was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mock

Cite this Entry

“Mock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mock. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

mock

1 of 3 verb
ˈmäk How to pronounce mock (audio)
ˈmȯk
1
: to treat with scorn : ridicule
mocked his ideas
2
: defy sense 2
don't mock the rules
3
: to make fun of by mimicking
mocker noun
mockingly adverb

mock

2 of 3 noun
1
: an act of mocking : jeer
2
: someone or something that is made fun of

mock

3 of 3 adjective
: not real : imitation

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